Archive | May, 2017

There’s a huge difference in sales conversions when someone is excited about a purchase they’re making vs. when they’re surprised by the possibility of a purchase.

Think back to your own history. Has there ever been a product or anything you thought about buying for some time? Maybe it popped up in your thoughts throughout the day, you heard others talking about it, and you were convinced it would change your life, solve a problem of yours, or delight you. When it came time to buy, you jumped at the chance – you couldn’t hit that buy button fast enough. I’m sure it’s happened to you; I think it’s happened to all of us.

The same is true for your audience. That build-up matters.

If they just see your sales page blindly, they might not even read past the headline. They don’t yet have an emotional connection to it. Sure, you try to do a great job with your copy and get and keep them reading—but that doesn’t always work because once they reach a page, if they’re not already presold on the desire to read for more than an instant, you only have a brief time to capture their interest.

It’s so much better if they have an emotional connection already. It’s even better if they already know they’re going to buy before they even see the sales page. That’s when the real magic happens.

I’ve had people tell me that when I release a new product, some don’t even read the sales page. They know it’s going to be a good value so they jump right down to the buy button. That makes me feel great. That’s part of a reputation I’ve developed over time.

But often, it has to do with the preselling I do in my emails. I often talk about projects I’m working on, especially ones I’m particularly excited about (such as the Plug-In Profit Site). I talk about what the projects mean to me and what they’ll mean to the audience.

I have great relationships with the people on my email list. There are some who’ve been on my list for nearly a decade. With this trust come higher conversions.

But that longevity doesn’t always have to be there to do this successfully. You can presell by email and get people excited about making a purchase whether you’re new to business or copywriting or not. You can get people excited about making a purchase before they even see the sales page by using the power of psychology and preselling.

The Psychology Of Preselling

People tend to buy more readily when they’ve already committed to something in their mind.

People tend to buy more readily when they’re reminded of a desperation or passion they have.

People want easier, better solutions to things.

It often takes more than one point of contact before someone will be ready to buy.

What does all of that mean to you? It means that if you pay attention to these things, you can do a great job of preselling by email. You can secure that sale before people even see your sales page. How’s that for something amazing?

Let’s talk about the fact that it often takes more than one point of contact before people are ready to buy. Imagine you buy an Adwords ad and send someone directly to a sales page. They might not have heard of you. The sales page is great, though… are they likely to buy? They might… but your conversions won’t be anywhere near what they could be. There’s no real connection there.

Instead, imagine a scenario where you buy an ad, give someone a freebie so they’ll join your list, and start building a relationship with them by email. You send an email stirring up a problem they have. You send another offering them part of the solution. You send another email handing them the solution on a platter… they’re excited and decide they NEED this solution and are ready to buy before they even land on the sales page.

The latter option is better, right? It’s that relationship and connection that makes the difference. It’s that attention to human psychology that makes the difference.

The Next Time You Sell by Email…

The next time you sell via a sales page, do your preselling by email. It can work well to do a mini series of emails that leads to a link to a sales page and a call to action.

The first email can stir up the reader’s emotions and hit on their problem. Make them feel that pain and pressure so they’ll want to remove it at any cost. Get that thought into their mind and they’ll be subconsciously thinking about it until the next time you contact them.

The second email can restate that pain and emotional need again. This time, hint at the solution.

The third email can present the solution on a silver platter – and the answer is found within the product on your sales page. Include a call to action to buy.

Get people excited about what you have to offer ahead of time. You can really improve your conversions. Learning how to write copy isn’t just about writing a good sales letter, it’s also about writing great email copy.

Examples Of Preselling By Email

Here’s an example for you. This is a very simplified example, so adapt it to fit your needs.

Let’s say you want to promote a product that’s designed to teach stay at home moms how to write a money-making blog so they can start or continue staying home with their kids while bringing in an income.

Email 1:

Subject: Moms who need more money…

Hello,

Having children is amazing – it’s a huge blessing.

You’ve decided to stay home with your children or you want to stay home with them.

The only problem is that there’s just not enough money. It’s next to impossible for a real family to live off of a single income in today’s world.

But you don’t want to miss a moment of your child’s life.

What’s the answer?

I completely understand what you’re going through right now, and it’s one of the toughest things there is.

I think this topic is so important that I’m going to send you another email tomorrow to talk about solutions, okay?

Sign off

P.S. I think you’re going to like the idea I have for you… It could mean the difference between staying home with your baby or not.

Email 2:

Subject: Can stay at home moms earn money from home?

Hello,

Last time, we talked about the fact that you really, really want to be able to stay home with your children.

We also talked about the fact that it’s nearly impossible for most families to survive on just one income.

At the same time, you’ll stop at nothing to be able to stay home with your little one.

What’s the answer?

The answer’s pretty cool… and it can definitely work for you. I’m really excited to tell you this. I actually work with MANY stay at home moms who earn full time incomes from home.

They do it all from the computer.

No, this has nothing to do with those ridiculous (and scammy) fake posts you see on social media that say stuff like “earn $3,000 from month doing nothing!”

There are REAL moms who really wanted to stay home with their kids. They’ve started their own business from home and are now earning great incomes doing it.

There’s actually a ton of different options out there for doing this. You can write, blog, freelance, work as an affiliate, and even create your own products.

All of these can be your path to freedom… your path to getting to stay home with your kids and earn a full time income.

I’m especially excited about one of these options in particular because I think it’s perfect for you. You can do it in your spare time and it’s really a lot of fun.

I’m going to share that business with you next time.

For now, think about what it would mean to your family… and to your children… if you could stay home with them with no stress. What it would mean to you and your spouse to have a second full time income coming in, in your spare time at home.

Until then…

Sign off

P.P.S. Remember to check your email tomorrow, okay? There will be a special message from me.

Email 3:

Subject: Hey mom… here’s your answer for earning a full time income from home…

Hello,

I’m so excited about this because I truly think this can change your life and the lives of your family members.

Yesterday, I shared with you that there are actually a LOT of different ways moms can stay home with their babies and earn a full time income, often in their spare time.

Today, I’m proud to offer you a complete guide on doing this as a part time mommy blogger.

This method in particular is fun, easy, and lucrative. You can do it in your spare time and earn a great income doing it.

I know how badly you want to be able to stay home. I also completely understand how hard it is to do that if there aren’t two incomes coming in.

Here’s your solution… it’s a complete guide that will help you get started. It’s just $7 – less than the price of a couple of Happy Meals.

This could be life changing. After all, your children are only young once.

Grab hold of your future and your income by starting your own lucrative blog from home. This isn’t a “biz op”, this is a true opportunity to make your own path in life.

You work hard, and now it’s time to cash in on it.

Link to sales page

To your success,

Sign off

As you can see, there’s a lot of room here to write emails like this for your own product.

Make these preselling emails whatever you need them to be. The moms in the example haven’t even seen the sales page yet… but they’re probably going to buy, right? It’s the answer to their problems. The click-throughs and conversions on that third email should be quite high because the moms are already pre-sold on that product.

Apply this to your copywriting or promotions and you can dramatically boost your sales.

At this point I’ve mentioned over and over that you should be building a list with just about every action you take in your business. But, why is it so important?

There are several reasons — some include:

Frequent, easy contact with list members

Relationship building

Future-proofing

Scalability

Passive income

Multiple points of income

Let’s go over each of these points in turn.

Frequent, Easy Contact with List Members

It’s really exciting when someone reads your content, comments on your blog, sees your sales page, checks you out on social media, or buys a product of yours.

It’s great… but what if they forget about you and never take another action again?

What if they only ever buy that ONE product from you because you fall off their radar?

What if they love your blog post but forget about you because they have a million other great blog posts they love?

What if Facebook changes their algorithm so that person who “liked” your page never sees another one of your posts again?

Then, it’s not quite so rosy. It’s as if your readers and customers are slipping through your fingers. You need a way to connect with them and keep up with them. You need a way to stay at the top of their mind.

Getting them on an email list is the best way to do that. Get that Facebook liker on your email list and who cares if Facebook changes their algorithms? Get that blog reader on your email list and let them know when you have new posts… and new promotions. Get that customer on your list and gain a customer for life.

People are more likely to buy from those they know, like, and trust. People are more likely to buy when they’ve been reminded to do so more than once.

Relationship Building

If someone trusts you and already likes what you have to say, they’ll be a lot more likely to buy from you. That sort of thing happens over time… once you have a relationship.

How do you get that relationship? It’s hard to build it if you only every have fleeting contact with a reader or customer.

Get them on your list and it’s a whole new ballgame. When you have someone on your email list, you can send them helpful information. You can answer their questions one on one. You can share things that are going on in your life.

Email is simply more intimate and primed for relationship building. You have to use your list in the right way to make this happen, of course, but it can pay off big time when you do.

Future Proofing

None of us know if Facebook will always be the powerhouse it is today. The same goes for other social media sites. None of us know if Google will rank our sites and blogs well tomorrow or if they’ll fall away to oblivion.

How do you future-proof your business? That’s easy… you build an email list.

Your list is yours. As long as you comply with email marketing rules, you’re free to do what you want with your list. You can email them when you want, port your list to a new autoresponder company, promote what you want, when you want, and so on.

Put your business in your own hands by building an email list and making that a main focus, if not the main focus, of your business.

Scalability

It’s important to have an email list if you want to scale your business up. You’re so busy that it’s more essential than ever before to automate where you can (in the form of a list building funnel and autoresponders, in this case) and pay attention to what really works in your business.

Build a targeted email list of thousands of those desperate for answers and willing to spend money in your niche and I can all but guarantee your success. Having an email list allows you to scale up because you can focus on what’s important and always get your offers and promotions in front of extremely targeted eyeballs.

Passive Income

Having an email list can also help you achieve the dream of passive income. You can set up a squeeze page and make use of traffic methods that will work for you day and night. You can pay for this traffic, write articles, create videos, or whatever works for you.

You can then create a freebie offer that you give away on your squeeze page. It doesn’t matter if it’s 2 am, people will get that freebie automatically if they sign up for your list.

You can write a series of autoresponder emails that inform and delight your audience. You can write emails that promote products of yours and products you’re promoting as an affiliate.

Sure, you’ll have to check in and maintain your list, but much of your list building and income generation can happen on autopilot if you set yourself up the right way. This is great for product creators, affiliates, etc.

Multiple Streams of Income

Having an email list helps you develop multiple streams of income. You can earn as an affiliate or product creator. You can strike up great Joint venture deals… people are a lot more likely to work with you if you have a responsive email list.

It doesn’t matter what your main form of income is right now, having a list gives you options. And in a business where things are constantly changing and you have to keep up, adapt, and make sure your eggs aren’t all in one basket, email marketing is key.

Build Your List!

Build your list and you’ll build your freedom. And I mean that sincerely. Make list building a main focus of your business and you’ll be building an asset that allows you to steadily grow your influence, and ability to increase your business income and profits on demand.

I talk regularly about skills that are really important to learn if you want to succeed in internet marketing. But there’s one skill that really stands above the rest – copywriting.

Copywriting is the language of sales. It’s when you use the power of your product combined with an understanding of your market and psychology to make more sales.

Learning to write copy is one of those things that seem to really scare people. They feel like it’s a skill that takes years to learn, or expensive courses, or a certain type of person who was born with the skill. That’s not true at all.

You can learn to write copy.

This is something you should really dedicate yourself to. Ideally, you should be able to write your own sales pages, email copy, squeeze pages, and more. Even if you decide you’d rather hire a copywriter in the end, you should have the ability to write copy, make tweaks to existing copy, and know that the copy you’re using is good.

Why is this so important? Why can’t you just write some words on a page and call it good? After all, your product is good… won’t people see that?

In some cases, yes. If you have a really stellar reputation with your audience then you could possibly make great sales even if you have poor sales copy. But, how will you attract a new audience? How will you make sales from those who aren’t familiar with you? How will you know if a little tweak here or a little tweak there could double or triple your sales?

Being good at writing copy is important. Yes, there are other things (like the relationship you have with your audience) that are very important as well. But, this isn’t something you should resist.

Learning to write copy can even be fun. There’s something really cool about the fact that you have the power to persuade with your words. Write your sales page “this way” and you might convert at 1%. Write your sales page “that way” and you might convert at 5% or even much more.

I think it’s very exciting that you can potentially make little tweaks to words on a page and earn a lot more money from the product you’re promoting.

Now, let’s talk about the fact that so many people are intimidated by this process or think they don’t have what it takes. I think the belief that writing copy is hard comes from the fear of something new. You’ve learned to write articles and reports and this is a different type of writing. It makes sense that you’d be a little intimidated by it.

Another part of the fear might come from the fact that it can cost many thousands of dollars to hire experienced copywriters. If it costs that much to hire a copywriter, what business do you have even attempting to learn how to write copy? There’s clearly a lot to it, right? You think it must be very complicated… (it’s not).

I think it helps to think of copywriting skills as being on a spectrum. At one end you have those who are totally new to this and don’t know how to write copy at all, and may not care to know how to write copy at all.

At the other end you have those who have been writing copy for many years. They’ve taken courses, read books, studied under master copywriters, and have written hundreds or thousands of pieces of copy.

It doesn’t have to be one or the other, though—this is a spectrum. It’s not all or nothing. No, you won’t be a master copywriter after one day’s worth of effort. But you can learn how to craft copy that’s good enough to sell. You won’t be a master copywriter after a few months, but you can craft incredible copy that converts like crazy.

It’s well worth it to learn how to write copy ‘good enough.’ It can help you earn a lot more money in your business. In fact, you might find that you very quickly learn enough to write copy that converts even better than the copy you’ve been paying copywriters for.

After all, you know your product better than the copywriter, and you have more passion for your niche and for your product than the person who’s just doing it for the money.

If nothing else, it’s worth it to learn copy because you’ll earn more money. That’s part of the goal of being in business, right? You want to grow your business.

Good copy persuades people to buy. Good copy does something else that not many people think about—it helps you build connections and relationships with your audience.

You might never meet most of the people who see your copy and buy your product. But, your words will help them feel an instant connection. They’ll instantly feel like you understand them and know exactly what they want and need.

Words are very powerful—especially when you learn how to use them persuasively to make sales. You’ll stand out in your niche because your words have that magic to them that keeps people coming back for more.

If you don’t learn to write copy, you’ll never know what your potential for making sales and connecting with your audience is. You’ll never know how far you can take your business.

If you do learn to write copy, you’ll know how to connect with and persuade your audience. You’ll make more sales and keep people coming back for more.

You’ll be able to more fully understand your audience, which will help you make better decisions for your business overall.

Writing copy doesn’t have to be hard or scary. I hope you’re feeling pretty excited about this journey right now. In other segments, I’ve given you ideas, tips, and strategies for easily writing great copy that converts. It’s up to you to get started and use them. Study great copy in your niche, practice, create swipe files you can refer to when you’re writing.

Get good at writing copy and your audience will be in the palm of your hand. You’ll have a skill not many people are willing to learn. Not many people even understand how important this is to learn. You’re at a huge advantage now, so run with it.